Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has moved to defend the contribution of Martin Zubimendi following a debut Premier League campaign that saw the Spanish midfielder both shine and eventually fade as the season wore on. With increased competition now arriving in the middle of the park, Arteta has stressed that Zubimendi's importance to Arsenal's title challenge should not be forgotten.
Zubimendi arrived from Real Sociedad last summer and quickly settled into English football, becoming a near-permanent fixture in Arteta's side for much of the campaign. He struck up an effective partnership alongside Declan Rice and finished the season with five Premier League goals, the best return in front of goal of his career to date.
However, as the campaign reached its business end, signs of fatigue began to show. Zubimendi's performances dipped, and Myles Lewis-Skelly was drafted into midfield in May, eventually overtaking him for a starting berth in Arsenal's Champions League fixtures. The 27-year-old made 57 appearances across all competitions last season, by a distance the heaviest workload of his career.
Despite the late dip in form, Arteta was adamant that Zubimendi's contribution throughout the majority of the campaign should carry weight when assessing his debut season in England. "Zubi without a doubt was one of the best players for Arsenal last season," Arteta said. "Without him we would never get into the position that we got in the last few weeks and he deserves massive credit. He deserves some credit from all of us, all the coaches, myself and especially his team-mates."
The Arsenal boss acknowledged that Zubimendi's playing time diminished towards the business end of the season but insisted his overall body of work should not be overlooked. "We know that without him we would never reach the level and the way that we competed throughout 10 months. At the end, yeah, he didn't play that much. He still played some important minutes but he didn't play that much," Arteta explained. "But no one can neglect the importance of what we did and how important he is for us. So that's something that's important to comment because a lot of people end with the taste, 'No, but this player played in the Champions League final'. This guy did it for 10 months. Otherwise we weren't here and we wouldn't be playing in those finals. I think he deserves a lot of credit for that."
Zubimendi now finds himself facing fresh competition for a starting spot following Arsenal's £75million capture of Bruno Guimaraes. Lewis-Skelly has also established himself as a trusted option in central midfield, while Mikel Merino has returned to full fitness after being sidelined for much of the second half of last season through injury.
Arteta believes Zubimendi has the character to respond to the added competition and manage his workload more effectively across a full campaign. "He's an extremely honest and straight guy," the Arsenal manager said. "He's so demanding of himself that sometimes it can be even too much. But he knows that and he knew that we were going to add and increase the quality of the squad. Because it has to happen in every position and we cannot not do what we did."
Arteta pointed to the physical toll of last season as a key factor behind the club's summer additions. "When he got to the last stage of his season, he already played 55 games. We cannot have that again at this level," he said. "He recognises that. Now it's going to be, 'Okay, how am I going to raise the level to be able to do what I did last year but for 11 months?' That's it."
Amid speculation linking Real Madrid with a possible move for Zubimendi this summer, following their failed pursuit of Rodri, Arteta played down any suggestion the midfielder could leave the club. "He's a really important player for us," he said, as Arsenal prepare to open their new Premier League campaign at home to Coventry on Friday night.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.